The Valley Of Adventure Part 19

"Hi! Hurry up and let me out!" came Philip's urgent voice, and to the horror of the pa.s.senger and the porter, the big crate began to rock violently.

"There's someone in there!" cried the porter, and ran to the crate. He undid the hasp with trembling fingers and out came Philip, straw in his hair, straw down his neck, straw all over him, looking wild and terribly excited.

"I want the police station," said Philip. "Can't stop to explain anything to you now. Where's the police station?"

"Over there," stuttered the porter, pointing to a small square building about a hundred yards away from the railway station. "But - but - but"

Philip left him "b.u.t.ting" away, and sped off to the police station, thrilled at his escape. He had managed it wonderfully, he thought.

He shot into the police station and almost scared the policeman there out of his life.

"I want to report something important to somebody in authority," said Philip. "Who's the head man here?"

"I'm the constable here," said the policeman. "Who are you, and what do you want? You can report to me."

"I want to use the telephone," said Philip, thinking it would be a good thing to get into touch with Bill at once. "Will you get a number for me, please?"

"Here, here - you can't go using our police phones without good cause," said the policeman, beginning to feel that this straw-strewn boy was mad. "What's your name, and where do you live?"

"My name is Philip Mannering," said Philip impatiently. "Don't hold me up, please. I've very important things to report to somebody."

The name caught the policeman's attention at once. "Philip Mannering?" he said. "Here - are you one of the missing children? There's four been missing for days. You one of them?"

He drew a leaflet from a drawer and looked at it. He pa.s.sed it across to Philip. To the boy's surprise he saw a photograph of himself, Lucy-Ann, Jack and Dinah - and Kiki too, of course - at the head of the paper, and their names and descriptions underneath.

"Yes - I'm that boy," he said, pointing to his photograph. "Philip Mannering. And I want to get into touch with Bill Smugs - no, his real name's Cunningham, of course - at once. It's MOST IMPORTANT."

The policeman suddenly got very busy. He took up the receiver of the phone. He barked a number into it, which he got at once. He evidently got on to somebody in high authority immediately.

"Sir, one of the missing children has just turned up here - Philip Mannering - wants to report something to Detective Inspector Cunningham. Yes, sir. I will, sir." He turned to Philip.

"Are the other children with you?"

"No - but they're all right - so far," said Philip. "I've escaped and I want help to rescue them. Can I get on to Bill Cunningham, please?"

The policeman spoke into the telephone. "The other children are all right, but not with him. Please notify Mrs. Mannering. More news to follow. When will the Inspector be here?"

The policeman put the receiver down and gazed in a very pleased manner at Philip. To think that this exciting case of Missing Children should be reported to his little station!

"Where am I?" asked Philip suddenly. "What is this place called?"

"Don't you know?" said the policeman, surprised. "It's Gairdon, on the north-east coast of Scotland."

"I guessed that's about where I'd be," said Philip. "Sorry I can't tell you anything, constable - but I think I'd better wait for Bill."

Bill came - in his aeroplane! He landed at the nearest aerodrome, took a fast police car, and arrived at Gairdon in two hours' time. Very good going. Philip heard the car roaring up and ran to meet it.

"Bill! I knew you'd come! Oh, Bill - I've got the most exciting news for you! I don't know where to begin."

Chapter 30.

BILL GETS BUSY.

BILL swung out of the car, took hold of Philip by the arm and had a good look at him. "You're all right?" he demanded. "All of you? Your mother's been nearly off her head with worry."

"I'm all right, Bill, so's everybody. But we've fallen right into the middle of a most extraordinary adventure," said Philip. "I must tell you quickly. We've got to get busy. You see"

"Come into the police station," said Bill. Philip followed the burly figure, full of relief to hear his determined voice, and to see his strong, clever face.

Soon the whole story was being poured out. Bill listened in amazement, occasionally rapping out a sharp question. When he heard how Philip had taken the statue out of the crate and put himself in its place, and was taken to the railway station, he burst out laughing.

"I never in my life knew children like you! Whatever will you do next? I can't cope with you. But, joking apart, this is a most extraordinary thing, Philip, most amazing. The men you got caught up with are the very men I'd been after for some time. We couldn't find out what they were up to - though we knew jolly well they were up to no good."

"Really?" said Philip, astonished. "By the way, Bill - that night we were to go with you in your plane - and got into the wrong one - we heard shots. Was that anything to do with you?"

"It was," said Bill grimly. "It so happened that two of the men were spotted there, and detained. They shot their way out - and that was what you heard. I nearly got a bullet in my leg. I can tell you, we shall be very glad to get our hands on them and have something to charge them with. Clever rogues! They are South Americans, in touch with the old n.a.z.is, who have told them the whereabouts of many of the lost or hidden treasures in Europe. Many of them have never been found, you know."

"Gosh - you wait till you see our treasure caves!" said Philip. "Oh - by the way, here's a notebook I pinched from one of the men's coats."

He handed it over. Bill squinted at it, and his eyes nearly fell out of his head.

"I say - my word! - look here - this is a code - the code the rascals use - and a list of all the people concerned in this racket - with their addresses in code! Philip, you deserve a medal. This is a first-cla.s.s find. We can round up the whole gang."

Philip was delighted at Bill's pleasure. Bill got up and went to the telephone. He made many calls, short, sharp and to the point. Philip listened but could not make much of them. He hoped Bill would soon set off to rescue the others. They would be waiting most anxiously.

Bill put down the telephone receiver at last. "We're taking my aeroplane and another, and twelve men counting myself," he said. "Starting at twelve."

"I'm going too, aren't I?" said Philip anxiously.

"I think you'd better stay and see your mother," said Bill. "And also - there may be a bit of a dust-up, you know, when we get there."

Philip stared at him in the greatest indignation. "Bill! The others will be there - Jack and the rest - and you'd keep me out of it? Didn't I come here, didn't I"

"All right, all right, old son," said Bill. "You shall come. Goodness knows what further adventure you'd get into if I left you behind."

Philip cheered up at once. He took Lizzie out of his pocket and introduced her to Bill. "Meet busy dizzy Lizzie," he said, and Lizzie ran on to Bill's knee.

"Sounds like Kiki's make-up," said Bill. "Busy dizzy Lizzie! What a name for a lizard!"

"I suppose we can't get anything to eat here, can we?" asked Philip, wondering if there were ever any eatables at a police station. "I've had chocolate to nibble at times, but that's all."

"I was going to suggest that we should ask the good constable here to provide us with a really slap-up meal," said Bill. "We could go to the hotel, but you don't look very presentable at the moment - you seem to exude bits of straw from top to toe. We'll have a good meal and then give you a wash and brush-up."

The wind got up as they ate their meal. Bill stared out of the window. "Hope this wind dies down," he said. "Looks a bit stormy to me."

Bill was right. Just before it was time for them to set off in the car to the aerodrome, the telephone rang. Bill answered it. He listened gravely and turned to Philip.

"There's a gale warning out," he said. "Afraid it's no good starting off yet, Philip. Very stormy weather where we want to go."

"Blow!" said Philip, disappointed and anxious. "The others will be so worried, waiting and waiting for us."

"Yes, they will," said Bill. "But the aerodrome doesn't give out warnings like this without reason. They are apparently expecting one of those sudden gale-storms that mean a plane must fly absolutely blind. Not so funny. We'll have to wait a bit."

Philip looked upset. It would be too awful if those men got back before they did and perhaps caught the others. And he did so badly want Bill to catch the men red-handed - wanted him to get there before them, and wait for them to come again and take away the treasures.

"By the way, Bill - how do you know where to fly to?" he asked suddenly. "I didn't know what the valley was - or where - except that it is in Austria."

"It's down in that interesting little notebook you gave me," said Bill, "together with other places where they may also find hidden treasures. Oh, that notebook told me quite a lot I wanted to know, Philip."

Bill got out a map and showed Philip exactly where the valley was. "It had a bad time in the war," he said, "and the only pa.s.s into it was bombed. It hasn't been unblocked again, as far as I know. Plans were afoot to work on it this year. A man called Julius Muller - the one you were told to get into touch with - has been trying to get permission to unblock the valley and enter it."

"I wonder what happened to Otto," said Philip. "The poor prisoner, you know."

"His address is in the book," said Bill. "I have already asked for information about him. I daresay I shall get some soon."

He did. The telephone rang that afternoon and a voice informed Bill that Otto Engler had been found outside a big hospital, unconscious. He had almost died of heart trouble, but was making slight progress now, though he could not speak a word.

"I bet those brutes ill-treated him and made him tell them the exact whereabouts of the treasure caves," said Philip, "and then took him back and left him somewhere in the street, ill and terrified."

"Quite likely," agreed Bill. "They wouldn't stop at much." The telephone bell rang again, and Bill took up the receiver and listened once more.

"Gale getting worse," he told Philip. "Have to put off our trip till tomorrow. Pity your mother's so far away or we could have dropped in to see her. I've been trying to get her on the phone."

Philip did speak to his mother that afternoon, though it was only a three-minute talk. Mrs. Mannering was so relieved to hear his voice that she could hardly say a word herself. However, Philip found plenty to say, and had to stop half-way through because he was cut off.

Next day dawned fair and warm. The wind had almost gone - blown itself out in the night, which had been extremely stormy and wild. Philip had awakened once or twice and had felt glad they had not tried to fly off through it, for certainly it was a very wild storm.

He had slept in a comfortable bed put up in the cell of the police station. This seemed very exciting to him. "First time I've ever pa.s.sed a night in prison," he told Bill.

"Well, I hope it will be the last," said Bill. "Prison is not a pleasant place, my boy."

Bill's car was brought to the door. It was large and bright and swift. He and Philip got in, Bill started up the engine and they roared away. Twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty, seventy miles an hour and more! Philip was thrilled.

"She does go," he said. "Funny that a car seems faster than an aeroplane when you're in it. Much more of a rush, somehow."

They reached the aerodrome at last. There was Bill's plane, its propellers whirring fast. Beside it stood another, very like it. Eleven men stood about, waiting. They saluted Bill.

"Get into my plane," Bill ordered Philip. "I want a word with my men."

He had his word and got in. Five of the men got in Bill's plane and six in the other. There was a terrific roar, and first Bill's plane took off and then the other one. They flew into the wind, circled round, rose higher and then made off for the east.

Philip gave a sigh of relief. Now things were on the move again. He would soon see the others. How glad they would be!

After some time Bill spoke to Philip. "We're coming to that valley of yours, Philip, now - or should be. Have a look out and see if you recognise it."

Philip looked down. "Oh yes!" he cried. "That's it! And look - there are four planes down there! That's where we land! You'd better look out in case the men are about and shoot!"

Bill's plane roared down lower. It swung into the wind and landed perfectly. The second plane followed suit.

The engines stopped. There was silence. Bill waited to see if anyone came running out. No, not a soul. He and the other men poured out. Philip followed.

There seemed to be no one about at all. Bill told his men to scatter and make a search before they went any further. Soon one of them gave a shout. "Hey! There's one of them here! All tied up like a chicken!"

It was Pepi, half dead with cold and hunger. He was so glad to be set free that he did not show much surprise at seeing so many strangers. In charge of one of the men he tottered over to Bill.

"Put him in the hut and lock him up," ordered Bill. "Who could have tied him up, Philip?"

"I can't imagine," said Philip, puzzled. "And look, Bill, here are two of our suitcases - fallen out of the tree, I suppose. Funny."

"There are still seven men to be accounted for," said Bill. "Right. Well, now - we'd better set off to these treasure caves. Look out, men, in case there's any ambush. We don't want to be shot up without warning."

They set off, Philip telling Bill the way. Bill was filled with amazement to see the valley, the towering mountains, the burnt ruins it seemed so extraordinary to think of the four children marooned here in the middle of such thrilling adventures.

"Can you hear the waterfall now?" asked Philip eagerly, after a time. "I can! We're getting near."

The men were amazed to hear the noise of the great waterfall, and even more astonished to see it. They did not say very much, for they were tough men, not easily surprised by anything. But they stood and stared for some time.

"Now - careful - because we're getting near to the cave entrance," said Philip at last. "Shall I go first? I think I'd better."

Chapter 31.

AN EXCITING FINISH.

JACK, Dinah, Lucy-Ann, Kiki and the old couple were still in the cave of stairs. They had just finished their meal, and were wondering what to do. What a pity the old couple wouldn't come outside the mountain - it was such a lovely day!

"We could easily go and sun ourselves there," said Lucy-Ann longingly. "There's no danger from those men. They can't get out of that locked door."

Just as she spoke, Jack clutched hold of her arm and made her jump. "s.h.!.+ I can hear voices."

They all listened fearfully. Yes - there were voices - coming down the tunnel that led from the cave of stalact.i.tes to the cave they were now in.

"More men! Quick, hide!" said Dinah urgently. In a panic the children began to run to the other end of the cave, stumbling and tripping, their feet echoing round the big vault.

"Halt!" cried a stern voice, and a big figure stood just inside the cave. "Stand still! Put your hands up!"

Lucy-Ann knew that voice. Of course she did. "Bill! BILL!" she squealed. "Oh, Bill, we thought you were never coming!"